Simple Minds:
Street Fighting Years
(1989)

Genre: Rock with symphonic elements.
Produced By: Trevor Horn & Stephen Lipson.
Record Label: Virgin.

Simple Minds is a favourite band of mine and I had a hard time figuring out which one of their albums to put on my favourite lists. They have made at least three that are all eligible for the list. However, in the end I chose "Once Upon A Time" and "Street Fighting Years" which features the band in all its Scottish grandeur and pride. Songs like "Soul Crying Out", "This Is Your Land" and "Let It All Come Down" sum up all the most important qualities in Simple Minds. For The more classic Simple Minds you'll probably have to look for albums like "New Gold Dream", "Sparkle In The Rain" and "Once Upon A Time". All three are great albums, but "Street Fighting Years just has more of those grand ballads that have become the specialty of Simple Minds. This album also marks the peak of Simple Minds' career before their album became a little more ordinary. I still think "Real Life" is underrated, though...

Overall rating (on a scale from 1 to 10): 8

Del Amitri, U2.